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rated, because it derives its existence from some- 

 thing different from itself, viz. from God, by whom 

 it is adorned. Thus, also, with those who directly 

 admit that the world is perpetual, the moon pos- 

 sesses a generated light from the sun, though there 

 never was a time when the former w r as not illumi- 

 nated by the latter. If, therefore, some one as- 

 serts that the world is generated according to 

 Plato, conformably to these significations of the 

 word, what he says may be admitted. But so far as 

 the term e generated 7 signifies a certain time, and 

 that the world, formerly not existing, was after- 

 wards generated, this signification, when applied 

 to the world, must by no means be granted. Plato 

 himself, indeed, indicates how what he asserts 

 is to be understood, when he says, * It must be 

 investigated, whether the universe always was, hav- 

 ing no principle whatever of generation, or whether 

 it was generated, commencing its generation from 

 a certain cause.' For the words, ' no principle 

 whatever,' and * from a certain cause,' manifest he 

 does not intend that a temporal principle should 

 be assumed ; but that what he says, is to be under- 

 stood in the same way, as when we say that the 

 history of the Ephori commenced in the descend- 

 ants of Hercules. Others say, that the world had 

 a beginning from the Demiurgus. For the Demi- 

 urgus is a principle, and so likewise is the para- 



